Larry,
I turned 66 on 10/02/17 and my ex-wife turned 67 on 10/09/17. We were married for 11 years, had two children, and divorced in 1986. I remarried, but she never remarried. We both had long careers and both contributed to social security for many years.
My current wife and I have been married for 30 years and have three children. She was born 6/7/63.
I am trying to understand the social security implications with my first wife relative to her entitlement to a portion of my SS income and the timing of my filing, as well as, my entitlement to a portion of her benefits, the options, and the timing of that.
I have not yet filed for benefits and wonder if it is in my best interest to wait until I turn 70 to file? I am not sure if my first wife has filed for benefits or not.
Would you please guide me on possible options?
Thank you!

Hi,

It sounds like your first could potentially qualify for divorced spousal benefits on your record now, but her entitlement wouldn't affect your benefit rate nor that of your second wife if she eventually qualifies for benefits on your record. You don't need to be receiving your benefits in order for your ex-wife to potentially collect benefits on your record.

You can't claim divorced spousal benefits on your ex-wife's record as long as you remain remarried, so your options are probably limited to when to file on your own record. If you can afford to do so it may be best to wait until age 70 to file, since that would provide you with your highest possible monthly benefit rate, which in turn could potentially carry over to a higher widow's benefit for your current wife. However, if you have any minor or disabled children then you may want to consider filing sooner.

You should strongly consider using the maximization software on this website to compare your options and determine your best filing strategy.

Best, Jerry